Table-leg socket.



H. S. BRDMAN.

TABLE LEG SOCKET.

APPLICATION rum) OOT.18, 1913.

1,1 20,702. Patented Dec. 15, 19m

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fkmw Muom HOWARD STANLEY ERDMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

TABLE-LEG SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed October 18, 1918. Serial No. 7!}5371.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD STANLEY ERDMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and

residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Table Leg Sockets, of whlch the'followingis a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements intable-leg sockets, and has for its primary object to provide a socket inwhich the table-leg may be securely locked in extended position, butwhich permits of the leg being readily collapsed or folded against thetable top for shipping of the table or other purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a socket, and meanscooperating therewith to engage with the socket and leg and securelylock the latter in extended position, together with lock-engaging meansfor securing the locking-means for the leg against accidental release.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a table-leg socketof such construction as to permit folding or collapsing of the leg, andto provide, in connection with such foldable leg, means for holding samein the folded or collapsed position.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more specifically described, and then particularly claimed,and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of myinvention, wherein like numerals of reference will indicate like partsthroughout the difierent views, in which Figure 1, is a view in sideelevation of a socket constructed in accordance with my invention, theleg being shown broken away and in locked position, and the socket beingshown attached to the under face of the table, Fig. 2, is a face view ofthe same, Fig. 3, is a view in side elevation showing the lock releasedand the leg secured in the folded or collapsed position, Fig. 4, is adetached detail perspective view of the socket, the leg being showntherein in locked extended position and partly broken away, the securinglugs of the socket being also partly broken away, and Fig. 5, is atransverse vertical sectional view of the table top and table-leg, takenon the line 5-5 of Fig. 3,

showing the means for holding the leg in folded position.

To put my invention intb practice, I provide a socket member which maybe cast, or stamped or otherwise formed out of sheet metal, and whichin'the embodiment herein used to illustrate my invention comprises twoside walls '10 and 11 respectively, a back-wall 12,-and apertured lugs14 at the upper ends of said walls which receive holdfast devices asscrews 15, that enter the underneath face of the table top 16 and securethe socket firmly thereto. The remaining side, and both ends of thesocket-member are open, though I do not wish by showing this specificform of socket member to be limited to this precise construction, sinceobviously, the objects of my invention could be attained by providing asocketmember having a closed upper or inner end.

The table leg 17 is pivotally-mounted within the socket-member abovedescribed. In order that said leg may swing in an arc of ninety degrees,or from open or extended position to folded or closed position, the oneside of the socket-member is left 0 en to permit such swinging movementof t e leg. The leg at its inner or pivoted end is also beveled off asshown at 18 to permit of said swinging movement.

The leg is mounted in the socket by means of a shaft or pivot-pin 19,having its ends received in the side-walls 10 and 11 of the socket; theleg may either swing on this pin, or the pin may work in its journals inthe side walls.

A locking means is provided for securing the leg in the extended or openposition, and as herein shown, consists of a lock or latch-bar 20pivoted intermediate its ends to the face of the leg that fronts theopen side of the socket. This bar 20 is pivoted closer to one end thanto the other, and is of a length to extend, at one end, considerablybeyond the side of the socket, and has its end turned or wrapped over asshown at 21 to form a finger-piece for manipulating the bar. The bar isprovided in opposite edges with notches 22, 23, respectively, the sidewall 10, being provided with a notch 24, and the side wall 11 beingprovided with a slot 25, the said notch 24 and the slot 25 beingdisposed in the portions of said side walls which project beyond theface of the leg, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, so

- in the embodiment over orswrapped to form a that when the lockinglatch 20 is moved to locking position, transversely of the leg, the sameis securely engaging or engaged with the opposite side walls 10 and 11.

In order that should the locking means be accidentally disengaged orreleased, the table leg--may'not'icollapse, I provide a dead lock forthe said locking bar or latch. This herein shown consists of aban-26.,mounted at its one end on an extended en'dof the pivotin orshaft 19, and having its wuter or ree end turned v finger-piece 27similar to t e finger-piece 21. Intermediateits. ends, at a point whereit will receive the bar 20 when the latter is in locked position, saidbar 26 is provided with a cutaway portion or notch 28, from the lowerend wall of which extends a projection 29.

The distance between the 'free end of this projection and the upper orop osite end wall of the notch is made su stantiallly; ual to, or just ashade less than the widt o the bar 20 at the point where the latter isreceived in the notch 28, and .said free end of the projection 29 isrounded, so that the ro'ection can be forced over the edge of t e ar 20which latter bar will then rock on its pivot sufliciently to lie in backof the projection 29 in the manner shown in Fig. .4, and prevent thelocking means being accidentally released. To fold the leg, thehead-lock bar 26 is first released in the that it wil manner shown inFig. 3, bar 20 may and the locking then be swung on' its pivot, so lieparallel with the face of the leg, and the latter may then becsw'ung tofolded-position as shown in Fig. 3.

For convenience in it is desirable to (provide means for securingthe'leg in'folde position.. This I accomplish by providing a springcatch 30, substantially angular in form, one leg of which is securetable top, and the other leg of which is providedwithnan. opening 31. Inthe table leg is a pi 32. constructed and arranged to enterthis openingwhen the le is moved to folded position as is fully s own, and will beun erst'ood by. reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings.

To move the leg to extended or open position, a 1.111 on the free endthereof will release t e pin 32 from the catch 30, and when the leg hasbeen alined with the socket-member, the locking bar or latch 20 1sengaged with the side-walls as heretofore described, and the dead-lockengaged with the latch, securely fastening the leg in its storing andshipping, J

y fastened to the under face of the latch pivotally secured to one sisocket, and slotted to engage the means in presence of is made justtight enough as not to require the use of any tools to force the sameinto,

orrelease it from engagement with the locking member.

While I' have herein shown a specific type of socket embodying myinvention,

prising a socket secured to the under side of the table top andconsisting of parallel side walls and a back wall, and having an openside, a leg pivoted therein to swing through the open side of the socketto open andfolded positions, means on the le engagement with oppositewalls 0 the socket for locking the leg in open position, and means forsecuring said locking means in locked position comprising a slottedlatch engaging said lockin means.

2.A table leg soc et havin means for attaching it to a table top anhaving an open side through which the leg may swing, ale pivoted withinthe socket, a pivoted locking latch carried by the leg to engage withthe walls of slots formed in the opposite side walls of the socket .tohold the eg against swinging movement, said latch when in lookingosition lying transversely of the leg, and a atch pivotally-mounted toswing in a plane at right angles to the lane of movement of the lockinglatch to interlock for at its free end with the free end of said latchmeans in locking position, com rising a e of the which holds the leg inopen osition.

In testimony whereof I a x my signature two witnesses. HOWARD STANLEYERDMAN.

- Witnesses:

Orro Horseman, CHAs. W. Lennon.

